I once had a client that was trying to get me to go on a date with this guy by pitching to me how incredibly hot he was. My friend Adriana who was working with me that day, interjected saying “Vivian mostly cares if he’s hot on the inside.” Well that same night, Jeff (my husband) introduced me to someone as his girlfriend. He assumed that I already knew I was his girlfriend, (duh he said.) I guess it never crossed his mind to discuss it with me 😉 So no date for me with Mr. Hot. I was ok with it :-)Well, this is Nattalie and she is super hot on the inside. Her personality is as magnetic as her looks are, and I’m not fibbing.

Here are the links to the products I used to get this look.

*If it is helpful to know what products I use and you are interested in purchasing any of them, by purchasing them directly from the links provided I receive a small commission (sometimes only pennies, but hey!) Doing this will increase my ability to share more frequent tips and tricks on my blog and instagram. Thank you, genuinely, for reading my blog and for your support.

After smooshing several brushes, causing the bristles to fray out and not work well, I decided I needed to come up with a better system for packing up my personal makeup when I travel. I tried a few different bags and containers, but I didn’t love them. I finally found one that I love and here’s why:

-Your makeup and your brushes are together in one bag.

-It protects your brushes.

-You can fit a ton of makeup but it doesn’t take up a ton of room.

-You can work out of the bag, which saves counter space. And you don’t have to dump everything out to find what you need.

-The fabric is easy to clean (it’s a super nice black velvet.) Use a drop of soap diluted with water and wipe it down with a cloth and let it air dry.

The first bags I purchased were between $30-$60, but none of them did what I needed them to do so for me this one is totally worth the cost. Plus it seems to be made of really high quality materials and it’s going to last.As you can see in the photo where I’ve filled the bag with all my stuff, I put little labels on the left side.

I realized that typically when I’m getting ready to leave for a trip, I’m more stressed than normal and am packing in a hurry. After forgetting to grab a few essential makeup items during the packing process, I decided to make a list in my phone of items I’d need. That ended up being helpful, but still taking more time because I’d have to keep checking my phone to see if I got everything.

So I decided to just put the list directly in the bag, so I always have it.

Here’s my list if you’d like to use it to make a packing list for yourself:

Foundation

Concealer

Powder

Bronzer

Contour

Eyeliners

Blush

Eyeshadow Base

Eyeshadow

Mascara

Brow Pencil

Lips

Eyelash Curler

Lashes

Lash Glue

I used my label maker to make the list ( I have this model, but it’s discontinued and there’s newer nicer models available now for cheaper.) The reason I used my label maker instead of just printing a list is if I decide to add or change the list, I can just print another label instead of having to reprint the whole thing. Also these kinds of labels are durable (which is why I finally purchased a nicer label maker, because my cheaper handheld one can only print paper labels, which get annihilated when used for makeup organizing.)

My friend Ashlee is a hairstylist and I saw her using this pretty white curling iron that I had been eyeing online for a while, but hadn’t made the jump to purchase it yet.

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So I asked her about it and she raved that her curls last for like 3 days when she uses it. I was sold.

If you’re wondering what kind of looks you’d get from these different sized attachments, here are some examples. In this photo above I’m using the tapered barrel. (Top is Topshop and is so comfy and now on sale!)

*Note. I didn’t take the hair all the way down to the end of the wand. It still gave me tighter curls, but not too tight on the bottom. (makeup details in previous post.)

In the photos below, my guess is they probably used a 1 1/2 ” barrel, so the biggest one in the set.

And in these photos, a 1″.

(I tried to find the original source for these photos to credit, but I couldn’t track it down. I found them all on Pinterest.)

And when it comes to shampoo and conditioner lately I’ve been loving Living Proof.

Basically I can go longer without having to wash my hair, which is supposed to be better for your hair plus you save time.

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If you like to try out products before buying the full sizes, or if you travel, I also purchased this set and loved it.

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Living Proof was recommended by my friend Cara. She mentioned the No Frizz which I love as well. To be honest I can’t tell the difference and they’re both great.

Curls that last and not having to wash your hair as often. I’m in! And I also got an awesome shower cap 🙂 It’s real glamorous.

Which style of makeup is your favorite? I can never decide. More glamorous and darker, or more beachy with softer, girlier makeup.

Since Valentine’s day is on a Sunday this year I will probably just be going to church…which if I think about it long enough, is actually kind of wonderful and romantic since Jeff (the hubs) will be there with me.

One of my favorite quotes of all time, seems to kind of fit into the Valentines Day theme…

“Only one life that soon will pass, only what’s done with love will last.” I think about that often when I’m stressed or feeling like what I do is inconsequential. I truly love my clients and love making them feel beautiful, so I hope it does manifest into something more than just me painting peoples faces!

These are some of my favorite bridal photos I’ve ever seen. And Camilla Binks Photography is a genius. I LOVE that she had Jessica take her hair out and the end to switch it up. So hot.
And might I mention that Jessica my client, is literally a princess. At Disney World. And she married the ever so talented actor Richard Sharrah (YouTube sensation Kid History.) Don’t feel weird staring at them ’cause they’re so good looking. I’m sure everybody does. Eyes

Hey guys! I’m so excited to be blogging! Today I want to talk about one of my favorite things, self tanner.

Janae (an amazing videographer) wanted to have a little more color for her engagement photos (she felt like after they’re edited and brightened it would look better, especially since her fiance is so tan.)Not gonna lie, I kind of love her natural skin tone. I feel like the contrast with her hair looks drop dead gorgeous and striking. But I do like her tan as well, it gives kind of a warm sexy vibe.

My favorite self tanner lately has been the Rodial Airbrush Tan . It’s a self tanner and it also gives a lot of color instantly. It comes out as a fine mist spray.

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Just a pointer, be aware of your surroundings when you spray this. If you want to do a few coats you can either spray it in the shower or throw on a tank top and endure the frigid outdoors for 30 seconds while you spray it. I also like the Tomas spray tan but the last couple of cans I’ve gotten have kind of splattered when I spray it. It still works you just have to blend it out with a tanning mit or big buffing brush.

I LOVE spray tans and self tanners. The only things I don’t love about them is the after-the-tan-starts-to-develop smell (the Rodial however, doesn’t get this really) and when the self tan get’s messed up.

Please excuse the awkwardness (and low quality) of this photo, it was taken on my phone. But I HAD to show it. This was taken on the same day (I think the black-ness of my skirt threw off the coloring of my hand in the left photo. Believe me, my hand was tan and the messed up thumb area, was even worse and darker in person!) I had gotten a professional spray tan and then gone to sleep, only to discover when I woke up that I had badly messed up my hand (I think I laid my hand on my chest? Or maybe coated my thumb when I was getting dressed right after the tan. Either way, it was bad.) The photo on the left was after soaking and scrubbing all morning! It would NOT come off.

The photo on the right, was after using a damp Magic Eraser to remove the self tanner stain! (don’t rub TOO aggressively, it will give you like a baby rug burn if you get too excited!) After I tried everything to get it off, I finally contacted Amanda from Bella Airbrush Tanning. She came to the rescue with this self tanning mess up fix it trick!

Last but not least, if you like self tanners but can’t handle the smell, definitely try Xen Tan Scent Secure. I’ve gone through 3 bottles over the last couple of years and LOVE it.